Public opinion behind name change

Although the case for changing the name of Jungong Road (軍功路) in Taipei City to Heping E. Road Sec.4 (和平東路四段) having already been submitted to the city council for review, public opinion is still divided, with a majority wanting the change implemented immediately, but 13 percent objecting to the name changing at all.

In light of this, the city’s Department of Civil Affairs (民政局) said the entire case could not be overturned and would continue public consultations.

The situation is complicated because Jungong Road does not continue directly from Heping E. Road Sec.3, there is part of Wolong Street (臥龍街) as well as the Zhuangjing Tunnel (莊敬隧道) in between, with one suggestion being that these would be changed to become a continuation of Section 3. Following a survey of residents which found 73 percent in support of the changes and 13 percent against, in July 2011 the city council was asked to approve the proposal.

[From an article this week in the Liberty Times (full Chinese-language article here)]

The article doesn’t discuss the motivation behind the name change, but sources cynically suggest to FTTK that it is all about real estate values, with properties located on Heping E. Road—which is associated with the Daan District of Taipei—being worth considerably more than those on Jungong Road, which is in the Muzha area of Wenshan District.

Heping, literally “peace and tranquility” are two of the Confucian “eight virtues” (八德; bade), while Jungong means “military achievements”.